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The Mature Age - Camille Claudel
L'Àge mûr [The Mature Age] appears mostly as a variation on the theme of destiny. In a movement of irresistible drag, the man, still held firmly by youth and life, old age and death, tear him from the outstretched arms of the supplicating young woman. The haunted drapes, the violent shadows bring the "Art nouveau" aesthetic closer together.
According to Camille's brother, the writer and diplomat Paul Claudel, "The Mature Age" has a strong autobiographical content and it represents a mature man, who would be the sculptor Rodin, dragged by an elderly woman, Rose Beuret, while a young woman, who is the same Camille Claudel, imploring, tries to stop him. Although, if we did not know the tragic love story of Camille and Rodin, the sculpture could also be interpreted as the passage of man to old age, or middle age, still trying to hold on to youth, which he relentlessly leaves behind.
The group gives us a feeling of agitation and great passion. All three figures are leaning forward showing the inevitable and impending breakup. The twisted fabrics that cover the naked bodies of the two mature characters give movement and accentuate the sense of speed of the march. The figure of the young woman, called “La Implorante” by Camille Claudel herself, is totally naked, her youth is sincere and resounding, without rags that cover her beautiful body, she has nothing to hide, she is going to lose what is most important to her. matters and his gesture is one of despair.
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